What is new in Age-Group Racing in 2019?

The 2019 racing season is just around the corner for Triathlon and Multisport athletes, so while training gets underway and preparation for the new season begins, it is important for Age-Group athletes to be prepared and informed with all of the changes going into the new year.

So what is new for 2019?

NEW COMPETITION RULES
The International Triathlon is always looking for ways to adapt, improve and change its competition structure to make racing in our events fairer and more enjoyable for all of our Triathlon and Multisport athletes. So, heading into 2019 there have been some competition rule changes that will go into effect for next season that will directly affect the Age-Group division.

***It’s important to note that these latest rule changes will stay for two years before the next revision process.

All of the rules can be found here, but here are a few that are noteworthy for 2019:

General Conduct:
(xiv) - Athletes may not use communication devices of any type, including but not limited to cell phones, smart watches, and two-way radios, in any distractive manner during the competition. A “distractive manner” includes but is not limited to making or receiving phone calls, sending or receiving text messages, playing music, using social media, taking photographs or using in a one or two way radio communication. Using any communication device in this manner during the competition will result in disqualification; - We know that we live in a world where communication and sharing your experiences is a part of everyday life, but we want to keep the time for Triathlon solely on Triathlon, so for 2019 we have also included two-way radios into the banned list during racing.

Registration:
2.7 (iii) Athletes may be penalized or stopped racing in case not respecting the check-in times. – We want to respect everyone’s time during an event, so please be on time for check-in or else you could get disqualified.

l.) Athletes may not compete within 24 hours at the same event in more than one triathlon or multisport competition (see Appendix I) when one competition is of standard distance or longer. The 24 hours is considered from the start of the race till the start of the other race the following day. Exceptions will be for the team relay events at the defined super-sprint distances (see 16.1.a.), PTVI1, PTVI2 and PTVI3 guides and aquathlon; - Worried that you won’t be able to compete in all of the events that you want? Don’t worry! For instance at the 2019 WTS Lausanne Grand Final the sprint-distance Age-Group race on August 30 starts at 7:15 am. The next day the standard-distance Age-Group race will begin on August 30 at 7:15am. Since the start of the standard-distance race is a full 24 hours since the sprint-distance race, athletes will be able to compete in both events.

Uniform:
2.8.c.(iii) arm covers can be wormed in all events but have to follow the branding guidelines at appendix F paragraph 9 – Do you prefer to race with arm covers? Well you can! But please make sure you follow the branding guidelines.

Equipment:
4.11 (ii) In an Aquathlon event athletes may carry the official event swim cap and goggles during the first run segment and may wear them in the Transition Area; - If you prefer to take your swim cap and goggles with you in an Aquathlon race, now you can.

Appendix K Penalties and and Violations:
Pay attention to what happens if you are served a penalty or a violation. Now there has been a difference between the cases where the athletes are disqualified and allowed to continue racing and the cases where they need to be removed from the course.

NEW ANTI-DOPING RULES
Every year WADA releases a new prohibited drug list, which ITU adheres to. To see the changes for 2019 check out the list here

But here are a few common questions that we can answer!
1. What is new?
ITU is testing more and more AG every year. We are getting more tips from WADA’s Speak Up whistleblower tool. We encourage athletes to report suspected drug use in sport through the Speak Up tool or to their National Anti-doping Organisation or to ITU.

2. What do you do when you need to take prescribed asthma meds on a daily basis but the medication is on the prohibited list?
If you need to take something that is on the prohibited list then you should talk to your doctor to see if there is an alternative treatment that you can take that isn’t on the prohibited list. If there isn’t anything else that you can take then you should contact your National Anti-doping Organisation to see if you are eligible for a Therapeutic Use Exemption or TUE. You can see information about TUEs at the AD section of triathlon.org.

3. Are any kind of supplementation ok? Such as Beta Alaine?
There is so much cross contamination in supplementations that I would really warn against using them. If you want to check a specific one then I would check the globaldro or look for one that has been given a seal of approval by your relevant National Anti-doping Organisation. Sometimes supplements contain prohibited substances either listed on or not listed on their ingredient’s list.

One must be very careful when taking supplements. It is better to get your nutrients from actual food. For example:
• Ostarine: Ostarine is the trademarked name for a Selective Androgen Receptor Modulator (SARM) that is not FDA-approved for human use or consumption in the U.S., or in any other country. Ostarine is prohibited at all times under the S1. Anabolic Agent category of the Prohibited List. Unfortunately, it has been found as a frequent contaminant in dietary supplements.

NEW EVENTS
Did you know that you can race the same courses as the Elites? Age-Group races always accompany our top Elite competitions such as the World Triathlon Series, World Cups and Multisport World Championships. So where are the new places we are heading to this year that you can register to race?

World Triathlon Series
2019 ITU World Triathlon Grand Final Lausanne

World Cups
2019 Madrid ITU Triathlon World Cup
2019 Banyoles ITU Triathlon World Cup
2019 Santo Domingo ITU Triathlon World Cup
**We encourage you to race during our World Cup events, however please note that these races are considered open and not ITU sanctioned Age-Group events.

Multisport
2019 Asiago ITU Winter Triathlon World Championships
2019 Pontevedra ITU Multisport World Championships

NEW HUB FOR ALL THINGS AGE-GROUP
This past September we unveiled a separate subsite of triathlon.org that is dedicated specifically just for Age-Group athletes, or World Triathletes like we like to call them! The section of the website is your source for everything Age-Group related. It is where you can find feature and news articles, answers to commonly asked questions regarding competitions, tips on how to train and get connected to your National Federation and more. Expect this site to grow, with new information being added all the time, including the launch of an Age-Group Newsletter coming in 2019!

NEW WAYS TO CONNECT
We are so inspired by so many stories and people that we come across in the Age-Group community that we want to tell the world about them! But we need your help! Be on the lookout for us using three different hashtags to promote three of our community campaigns that feature stories about triathletes just like you!

#TriEveryDay – We believe that Triathletes, encourage, motivate and influence the world every single day, whether it be by swimming, biking and running or just doing amazing things in their community. This is where we feature the triathletes who go above and beyond or overcome the impossible just by Tri-ing.

#SheLovesTri – As a leading International Federation in gender equality, we always will continue to empower and promote both men and women in our sport. But this campaign lets us focus on just the strong and amazing women in Triathlon and Multisport.

#TogetherWeTri - While we know that a Triathlete toes the start line alone, the journey to get there never is. Triathlon is not an individual sport, it takes families, training groups, friends and teammates to cross the finish line. This campaign celebrates all of the ways that Triathlon is a team sport!
Join us and be a part of the conversation! Do you know any Triathlete that has a powerful story that should be shared? Or a tough female Triathlete who has competed? Or want to nominate an incredible training group who does more together than just train? Use the hashtags above and mention @worldtriathlon on our social media channels (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook) and we might share your stories.